Alex Hufnagel

“There are so many great people here. I consider myself very social, and there are so many interesting people at MassBay from different cultures and backgrounds.”

Age: 18Hometown: Bellingham, MAMajor: PsychologyAspirations: To transfer from MassBay to Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and become a psychiatrist.

When Alex Hufnagel came to MassBay in September, 2011, he didn’t know anyone. So he did what came naturally: he flipped. “I have a few talents that I like to use,” he explained. “I can do back flips and front flips, and when I did them during my first semester, I wound up meeting a lot of people.”

In addition to his physical abilities, Alex has a bit of luck too. By registering for spring 2012 before December 31st, he was automatically eligible for a $200 gift card from the MassBay Bookstore. And he won! He intends to spend the money not on candy and gifts, but on text books. “I like to buy new books,” he explains. “I figure I’ll be using them throughout my college career, so might as well get them new. But that gets a little expensive.”

Fall 2011 is Alex’s first semester at MassBay, and he’s taking four classes. He intends to take five classes next semester and then transfer to his first choice of colleges, Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH).“Franciscan was my first choice of colleges out of high school, but my SAT scores weren’t high enough,” said Alex. “It’s a Catholic school, and I was introduced to the school through my church. I’ve visited a few times, and I really like the campus and the people there. It’s a good fit for me.”

While he originally intended to be a marine biologist because of his love of animals, and especially sea life, he found that he was good at helping friends with their personal troubles as well. “I found that through my dealings with my friends I wound up helping them a lot.” He now aspires to be a psychiatrist.

At MassBay, Alex has found the best part to be the community. “There are so many great people here. I consider myself very social, and there are so many interesting people at MassBay from different cultures and backgrounds,” he said. “Even though I didn’t know anybody, I transitioned very easily here. It’s not like high school because the professors interact well with the students and you get to know them really well. I’ve made lots of new friends quickly here – I like it a lot!”